By Anne Snider, Purdue University PhD Candidate and National Postal Museum Guest Researcher

Jugo 1921 first stamps with Aleksander and Peter I, Fig. 1

Yugoslavia has always been a multinational country; its people have different historical pasts and cultural traditions, including three main religions – Islam and two forms of Christianity, Roman Catholicism and Serbian Orthodoxy. These historical pasts were shaped by interactions with the Habsburg and Ottoman Empires that conquered and held portions of the northern and eastern regions of what later became Yugoslavia. After independence in 1918, successive Yugoslav governments dealt differently with the question of how to unite their citizens into a cohesive “Yugoslav,” literally “South Slav,” identity. All recognized the significance of postage stamps as a conduit to communicate with domestic and international audiences by highlighting important historical figures, political ideologies, cultural diversity, and technological advances.

Circa 1930s King Aleksandar postcard with image of Sarajevo, Fig. 2

Upon gaining independence in 1918, the government of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes—commonly known as Yugoslavia—had to rebuild its infrastructure from the ravages of war and unite multiple currencies and postal agencies into a single unified system. As a result, the first general issue Yugoslav postage stamps were not released until January 16, 1921. The interwar stamps of Yugoslavia frequently depicted the monarchy as seen here, Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević and his father King Peter I (Fig. 1). Postcards were also simple means to familiarize citizens with the various regions of Yugoslavia and their King. The image of the monarch was significant not only as the head of state, but also because both Prince Aleksandar and his father, King Peter I, had been on the battlefields during the war and worked side-by-side with soldiers to bring about Yugoslav independence. A postcard featuring an image of the city of Sarajevo in Bosnia and the 1931-34 stamp issue of King Aleksandar both served to personalize the monarchy and highlight the new, expanded territorial borders of Yugoslavia (Fig. 2).

During World War II, Yugoslavia was split by civil war and occupation. The Independent State of Croatia (NDH) emerged on April 10, 1941 following the invasion by Germany who then helped establish a fascist puppet regime under the leadership of Ante Pavelić. Germany, Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria occupied the remaining Yugoslav territory. Pavelić quickly harnessed postage stamps as a propaganda tool and continued to do so until Germany’s surrender in 1945. On December 3, 1941, the Croatian government released semi-postal stamps depicting Axis soldiers holding shields with the state emblems of NDH, Nazi Germany, and Italy (Fig. 3). The surtax from these stamps supported Croatian Volunteer soldiers fighting in the East.[1]

1943 NDH Croatian Filatelic Society exhibition stamp, Fig. 4

Commissioning stamps that celebrated Croatian culture and artistry also helped promote a historical legitimacy that predated Habsburg and Serbian influence. For example, the stamp commissioned for the 1943 Croatian Philatelic Society Exhibition in Zagreb, designed by V. Kirin and engraved by K. Seizinger, depicts St. Mary’s Church and Cistercian Cloister in the medieval city of Zagreb in 1650 and tied the new state with a long ago historical past (Fig. 4).

1959 Cover with 40th anniversary of SKJ, Fig. 5

Josip Broz Tito and his Partisans liberated Yugoslavia in 1945 and attempted to unite all its people under a new, non-nationalist foundational myth of the People’s Liberation Struggle to overthrow fascism. By doing so, Tito’s government sought to eliminate the nationalist strife that led to the civil war and instead unite Yugoslavs under the political ideology of Tito’s style of Socialism (Fig. 5). During the war, the People’s Liberation Struggle consisted of men, women, and children of all nationalities within Yugoslavia. It provided a platform that everyone could ostensibly unite behind—Croat, Serb, Macedonian, and Bosnian—and provided a symbol to which all citizens could lay claim. Images depicting male and female Partisans engaged in active combat against fascism emerged on postage stamps immediately following liberation in 1944 (Fig. 6) and continued to appear until Tito’s death in 1980.

1952 Army Day anniversary stamp with Tito and Tank, Fig. 7

FRJ 1945 stamps with Partisan fighters, Fig. 6

Beginning in 1945 until Tito’s death in 1980 stamp designs were frequently commissioned by the communist government to celebrate the anniversary of the country’s liberation or the various military days. The imagery served as a reminder of the centrality of Tito as the leader who, with the help of all Yugoslavs, liberated Yugoslavia from fascism (Fig. 7).

1957 Jugos stamps with regional folk costumes, Fig. 8

By highlighting cultural diversity, for example through folk costumes from all regions of Yugoslavia (Fig. 8), and historical figures such as authors, artists, and scientists, postage stamps became an educational tool to celebrate the multiculturalism of Yugoslavia and the artistic achievements of all its citizens. Stamps also promoted Yugoslav technological advancement and carried motifs of attractive vacation locales to an international audience through air mail stamps, perhaps to encourage foreign tourism (Fig. 9).

1951 Airmail stamps with various tourist locales, Fig. 9

Thus, Tito’s communist government unleashed the propaganda potential of postage stamps in a much more systematic fashion while at the same time celebrating ethnic diversity, and unlike during previous Yugoslav regimes, created optics that promoted inclusivity and equality.

I have highlighted here an extremely small sampling of the material I collected during my week at the National Postal Museum International Collection and Library. My dissertation analyzes material culture such as postage stamps and currency in much greater detail than I have done here. Feel free to contact me with questions, comments, or suggestions at snider16@purdue.edu.

Though it is hard to believe, the new year is almost here; the weather is colder and the nights longer. The excitement of the new school year has died down, and students and teachers alike have settled into their new routines. Perhaps it’s time to think about shaking things up a bit…perhaps it’s time to bring a student group to the National Postal Museum!

After some departmental restructuring and reorganizing, our educational programs are back up and running! Add to that the launch of four new programs, and we have a total of twelve different facilitator-led educational tours for students ranging from toddler-age to fifth grade. Maybe you’re looking to introduce your group to the concept of community or strengthen their problem-solving skills; no matter your mission statement or curriculum objectives the National Postal Museum has you covered! We’re even offering specialized programs linking our collection to unexpected topics like fairy tales, the weather, and graphic design.

Here at the National Postal Museum, we firmly believe learning should be fun! We’ve worked hard to design our programs so that none are your standard exhibit or museum tour. We would much rather play games, read stories, compose music, role play, and throw boxes of potato chips against the wall (no joke!). So whether you’re a home school group, a scout troop, or a traditional class of students, we would love to have you come by for one—or more!—of our educational programs.

Additional information, including an easy-to-use online registration form, can be found on our website. Or you can always reach out to me directly! I’m more than happy to discuss all of our options to ensure you get the best program for your unique needs. We’re continually expanding our student program offerings—if you have suggestions on themes or activities, feel free to share and I’ll do my best to incorporate them into future programs. I can’t wait to meet you and your students at the museum this school year!

One of the most frequent questions I get asked as a curator is about care packages, namely, what did family and friends send to each other during one time period or another? The curiosity is understandable—who among us doesn’t want to peek inside the mail? It’s rather easy to take a look at historic letters and know what people were writing about, but packages by their nature are more ephemeral; the packaging was typically discarded and contents put to some use. Letters are one source that provide hints about what people mailed in packages. Thank you notes commonly refer to contents and sometimes correspondents wrote to request specific items. For instance, US Army pharmacist David Friedman1 wrote from France on November 2, 1917 to tell his family at home that,

Christmas will be almost here by the time you receive this letter so I will tell you all what I want. If it is possible I should very much like a box of good things to eat. Let Molly bake a few of her good cookies with nuts in them and have mother send a bottle of pickles or preserves. . . .Then a little candy and a couple more tubes of . . . Tooth Paste. Three or four pairs of sox, heavy woolen ones and a few handkerchiefs. That's all. It may sound like a great deal but really it doesn't amount to much. And it sure will help to cheer me up. . . . Love to everyone. Dave (David Friedman Collection, Center for American War Letters Archives, Leatherby Libraries, Chapman University, CA).

I came across several such references while researching the mail for our centennial exhibition, “My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I.” The Post Office discouraged fragile items from being sent to military personnel at camps and on the front line. Customers were especially warned not to send perishable items that couldn’t withstand the overseas transit time that could take two to six weeks. Newspapers published lists of items to avoid and recommendations for care packages for the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). Many of the articles read like Friedman’s list; “Gifts Suitable for American Soldiers on Duty” in the August 26, 1917 New York Times gave many suggestions for satisfying a sweet tooth.

Enterprising confectioners have prepared boxes of candy especially to be mailed abroad, containing such candies as are not too soft and perishable... Chocolate, which is very nourishing and palatable, and cakes in many sizes may be had at the confectionery and grocery shops (New York Times).

Package with knitwear, handkerchiefs, and candy (on left) is inspected at the New York Post Office in 1918. (National Archives 165-WW-275B-018)

All Parcel Post Service mail was subject to inspection to check for proper postage and hazardous items. This mail is intended for shipping to the AEF in 1918. (National Archives 165-WW-275B-019)

Parcel Post Service, introduced in 1913, made mailing packages easier and more affordable, which increased expectations and demands, particularly at Christmastime. The Post Office and customers alike were learning much about packaging mail during the war. As a result, the Post Office and military handled the Christmas mail of 1917 and 1918 very differently. In an effort to control the mail volume and work within the limitations of the trains and ships, officials changed parcel construction, weight limits, and, in 1918, began to require military personnel to submit requests for packages.

In October 1917, the Post Office Department started to call for early mailing to military personnel and for parcels to be marked “Christmas Mail.” The campaign to mail early was deemed essential to handle the “unprecedented” amount of mail expected due to, according to Postal Bulletin, No. 11477, “the present prosperity prevailing throughout the country and congestion of other means of transportation. The high wages and abnormal earning of many persons of moderate circumstances will no doubt cause them to give more generously this Christmas.” The season was so busy and receiving gifts so important for morale that the War Department allowed postal employees to defer induction into the military if they had been selected for service between December 11, 1917 and January 1, 1918 (Postal Bulletin, No. 11528).Christmas mail at Camp Mills, New York, 1917 (National Archives 165-WW-275B-013)

Red Cross chapter in Massachusetts readies packages to send to soldiers in 1918. These baskets are likely too delicate for mailing and may have been hand delivered to local troops. (National Archives 165-WW-34C-008)

To reach the AEF in France in time for the special day, the mail had to be posted in the US by November 15, 1917 (Postal Bulletin, No. 11466, October 4, 1917). Postage cost 12-cents per pound to mail to the port of embarkation in New York and the rest of the journey was free (Postal Bulletin, No. 11486), but parcel post was limited to 7 pounds due to restrictions on French railway (Postal Bulletin, No. 11482).

The 1918 promotions for Christmas mail began in the early autumn. On September 28, 1918, Sgt. Clyde Eoff wrote to his sister in Omaha, NE: “I am informed that there is to be a certain type of Christmas box to be sent to us this year. You don’t need to bother about sending anything as we have all we need at present” (Clyde D. Eoff Collection, Center for American War Letters Archives, Leatherby Libraries, Chapman University, CA). Two new factors affected the season of giving between 1917 and 1918. Starting on April 1, 1918, the Post Office and military required that AEF members submit written requests for parcels and the list of items had to be approved by commanding officers. The second major change came from the assistance of the American Red Cross.

The Red Cross created vouchers, which they referred to as “Christmas coupons,” for the AEF to send home to ask for a three-pound parcel of gifts. The organization also took on some of the responsibilities of working directly with postal customers. Red Cross volunteers passed out the standardized packaging and they performed inspections to check for prohibited goods. Thus, the organization alleviated many of the tasks the Post Office and military had performed.

On Christmas Eve 1918, Sgt. Clyde Eoff was in Bitburg, Germany, as part of the army of occupation and passed the time by writing home. After concluding a letter to his sister, he made a last minute enclosure—the Christmas parcel had arrived and Eoff noted on the back of the accompanying Red Cross coupon: “After writing this letter I received the Christmas Pkg, on Christmas eve. It just reached here at the right time. I guess there will be no use hanging up our stockings tonight! Well I thank you all for the package, and it helps make a Merry Christmas for me. This coupon has crossed the ocean 3 times and covered over 15,000 miles. Keep it! Love to all. Clyde” (Clyde D. Eoff Collection, Center for American War Letters Archives, Leatherby Libraries, Chapman University, CA).

Mailbags wait in the New York Post Office for 1918 Christmas shipment to the military. (National Archives 165-WW-275B-023)

Americans were still serving abroad during the Christmas season of 1919, and while the numbers were down, they were stationed in more places around the globe than ever. For military personnel in England, France, and Germany, the less-than-seven-pound parcels had to be posted to the port of embarkation at Hoboken, New Jersey by December 8; and, the parcels up to twenty pounds could be sent through the port of embarkation at San Francisco for Americans serving in Siberia, Hawaii, and the Philippine Islands (Postal Bulletin, No. 12111).

Mailing early is still essential to ensure holiday care packages get timely delivery to deployed service members around the world. The contents are personalized, and like the parcels of World War I, they share the same intention to bring comforts of home to those in places of danger and hardship.

Friedman was of Jewish faith, but refers to the holiday season in general as "Christmas" as was customary at the time.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, nature and health-related wonders were important attractions in American vacationing. The Industrial Revolution had constructed cities, factories, and railroads, but it had also brought rapid change to the American workplace and pollution to the surrounding environment. In the face of these changes, many Americans longed for the wilderness, venturing into the forests and canyons of the United States as a way of both reliving a simpler time and escaping the crowded city. Similarly, in the absence of genuine scientific cures, physicians of this era often prescribed fresh air and a change in climate for their patients’ illnesses. The seashore, forests, and mountains were quickly understood to be the most healthful locations and became popular ground for hotels and other tourism-related services. In the National Postal Museum collection and the exhibit “Trailblazing: 100 Years of Our National Parks,” hotel covers from Hot Springs and Yosemite help tell the story of health and natural wonders as it relates to tourism, postal history, and the national parks.

Dr. Prosper Harvey Ellsworth was a surgeon in the Union army’s 106th Illinois Infantry before he relocated to Hot Springs in 1866. Ellsworth became one of the city’s first physicians and was a founding member and secretary of the Hot Springs Medical Society. (Left)

This cover depicts the first Arlington Hotel (1875-1893). The following two versions of the hotel were done in Spanish Revival and Mediterranean styles and featured Arlington’s signature towers. (Right)

Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas gained its fame from the area’s mineral and gas-rich thermal springs. Originally designated Hot Springs Reservation, the land was set aside by an act of Congress in 1832 to preserve its purportedly healing waters. After the National Park Service was created in 1916, Hot Springs became the nation’s eighteenth national park in 1921 and the oldest protected area in the system. As a national park, Hot Springs quickly developed into a bustling tourist destination that welcomed thousands of Americans eager to try the springs’ healthful waters.

At the northern end of Bathhouse Row, the Arlington Hotel provided travelers with luxurious and modern accommodations only steps away from Hot Springs’ famous waters. Opened in 1875, the Arlington Hotel pampered its wealthy clientele with high-end services and amenities, including lavish guestrooms and modern conveniences like electric lighting, elevators, and in-house bath facilities for men and women. The Arlington Hotel reached its heyday during Prohibition, when gangsters like Al Capone frequented Hot Springs for its horse racing and underground nightlife (Capone’s favorite room was 442). After significant remodels and a devastating fire, the current Arlington Hotel is the third structure to carry the Arlington name; still, it remains a popular destination for those seeking rejuvenation and relaxation at Hot Springs National Park.

In addition to exercising, learning, and healing at Ahwahnee (left), sailors wrote letters; the cover pictured here was postmarked in 1945.

Similarly, the natural wonders of Yosemite National Park provided the perfect setting for World War II’s wounded and traumatized sailors to recuperate from the war. From 1943-1945, the Navy leased the park’s Ahwahnee Hotel as the Naval Convalescent Hospital of Yosemite National Park, hoping the quiet resort atmosphere could counteract the violence sailors witnessed in the Pacific theater. The Ahwahnee—which was experiencing low visitor traffic during the war—quickly transformed into a hospital and set to work treating sailors with injury and “war fatigue” (PTSD).

At first, the resort’s location actually made conditions worse, with Ahwahnee’s isolated and rustic facilities causing sailors to feel stranded in the middle of the forest. However, temporary recreational buildings and new sports equipment quickly solved the sailors’ boredom. With the Ahwahnee’s new amenities, the recovering men could spend their days participating in a variety of activities, such as fishing in Yosemite’s rivers and creeks, watching movies in the hotel’s main hall, and writing letters to friends and family back home. In its three years of operation, the Naval Convalescent Hospital used Yosemite’s peaceful atmosphere and natural wonders to help sailors mend from their time fighting overseas.

Holly Chisholm is a recent graduate of Washington College with a special interest in tourism history. As part of her NPM internship, she has written a series of guest blog posts inspired by objects in the museum collection and in the current exhibition, “Trailblazing: 100 Years of Our National Parks.”

In 2018, the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum will collaborate with the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation (Women’s Memorial) on an exhibition highlighting four women who served their country during World War I. The exhibition, which will feature their letters and artifacts (such as original uniforms) from the Women’s Memorial collection, will explore their personal accounts of wartime experiences and examine their perspectives on life, service, and duty during a time of great change for the professionalization of women’s work and the country at large. While the National Postal Museum will host the exhibition in our new Franklin Foyer cases, we strongly urge our readers to visit the Women's Memorial,located at the Ceremonial Entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA, across from the Memorial Bridge!

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